Part 3 (1/2)

When they were in the hall leading to the front of the house he pulled her to him gently. When she started to protest, he kissed her. He didn't kiss her hard or even with as much pa.s.sion as he wanted, but simply brushed his mouth over hers.

His body screamed for him to take her. His wolf, nearly at the breaking point, seemed to claw at him from the inside out. Gordon was careful this time to keep it slow. He didn't want to frighten her and he didn't want her to knee him again. He moved to take another taste of her mouth when he felt her stiffen. He didn't let her go as much as moved her behind him.

”Paddy, what the f.u.c.k are you doing here?” she practically snarled at the man in front of him. ”You're not supposed to be within five miles of me and the kids. Get out before I call the-”

Paddy roared at her when she came around Gordon to get to the other wolf. It was all Gordon could do not to s.h.i.+ft and take the man. He had his scent now and he'd pay for upsetting Alexis.

”It's time you left. Now.” Gordon let a little of his humanity go to let the other wolf see that he meant business. He knew that this was the man who'd hurt his mate and also the man who was terrorizing the children and it was now his job to protect them as much as he could.

The whimpering startled him for just a second. Before he could stop her Alexis was out from behind him and making her way to the sound. The man, Paddy, didn't move a muscle, but stood smiling at him. He smiled like he knew something that Gordon didn't.

”You the wolf who sprayed himself all over my future mate? You'd better stay the h.e.l.l away from what's mine, little cub. I'm going to take what should have been mine in the first place and you are inconsequential to my plan. The other one was a waste of my time.” Paddy nodded toward where Alexis went without looking at her. ”The scrawny one didn't tell me about this beauty before I f.u.c.ked her. Had I seen her first, you'd be minus a bed buddy. And now that you've marked her it's every man for himself when it comes to claiming her.”

He moved quickly and had Alexis in his arms before Gordon knew his intent. When Paddy stilled her struggles with a hand around her throat she looked at him with tears in her eyes. His wolf roared. Gordon felt the change coming. His beast wanted to kill.

”Let my mate go and I'll let you live long enough to apologize to her before I tear your throat out.” Gordon felt his body respond to his mate's terror. His wolf moved along his skin and tore at him. ”This is between you and me now. Let Alexis go.”

Paddy licked her throat to her cheek. ”Hum, delicious. I can't want to have this sweet thing beneath me, screaming out my name. Do you know what I did to her sister? Do you have any idea what it felt like to kill her? You'd do well to remember I've tasted human blood in terror, little boy, and I'll have no trouble killing her just so you can't have her. Leave her to me and I'll be the one who lets you live.”

The sound of a door slamming had them all freeze. Paddy jerked once as if he'd been hit. Then he leapt toward the door as a shot rang out and Gordon could see where blood was stained on his shoulder. With a snarl toward something in the doorway, Paddy Booth s.h.i.+fted and leapt through the front door that was open.

”Find the kids and stay with them.” Gordon looked to the door where the wolf had gone. ”I'm so sorry about this.” And he s.h.i.+fted. The last thing he heard before going through the still open door was someone screaming.

Chapter 6.

Alexis paced. And when she wasn't pacing she was trying to comfort Darcy. The girl wouldn't let her touch her. Alexis glared at the people sitting on her couch and continued to pace.

”He'll be fine. I swear. He knows what he's doing.” Alexis stopped and stared at Connor, Gordon's twin in every way. ”He's been sc.r.a.pping with me since we were pups.”

”Oh he'd better be all right. Because when he gets back here, I'm going to murder him.” She started to pace again. ”What the h.e.l.l was he thinking running after Paddy like that? Does he think he's invincible? No, he is not. Stupid, moronic idiot should be...he should be caged or tied up outside so he can...what the h.e.l.l are you laughing at?”

She turned on Dallas so quickly that he backed up in the seat. ”Nothing. Well, except you sound just like CJ. She hated that Austin thought he was going to live forever too.”

”So it's a wolf thing, this inability to be smart. I see.” She didn't, but doubted she would ever tell them that. ”I don't understand how your race has made it this far if this is how you handle situations.”

”I don't think this is the time to be-” Austin stopped talking and stood up. His body looked as tight as a strung bow. When both Dallas and CJ stood, Alexis knew that something had happened to Gordon.

”You know something. What is it?” The hair on her arm stood when the baying began. It was just beyond her house, but it sounded like it was in the room with her. The sound at the front of the house startled them all and Darcy began to whimper. Alexis went to her immediately while the others made their way to the door.

Darcy knew something, or felt it. She'd been sitting in this corner since Alexis had managed to get the small handgun away from her. Where she'd gotten it was anyone's guess, but she was going to find out. She'd shot her father and had probably saved all their lives.

Alexis tried to calm her, but there wasn't any anything to do. She had to leave her alone to prevent her from hurting either one of them. She was struggling against even the smallest of comforts and Alexis was terrified that she was going to harm herself. When CJ came back into her living room Alexis stood and nearly fell over when Austin came in carrying a large wolf. All h.e.l.l broke loose.

”Stop that,” Dallas snapped at Darcy. The keening stopped immediately. Alexis might have been mad, but there were the boys who'd been awakened up from all the noise of the gun shot. She started to go to them when Connor said he had them and led them from the room. The wolf was laid on the floor near the fireplace.

”That's not...that's not Paddy. Who...” She suddenly knew. ”It's Gordon, isn't it?”

Alexis' hands began to burn and she put them behind her. She knew that at least one person in the room knew what was happening to her and maybe others, but she tried her best to hide it. Darcy was in no shape to tell on her. She looked up at CJ when she made her way to Gordon and was stopped by Phil.

”Will you do it?” She looked at the vampire and shook her head. ”You can, can't you? You can save his life. I can hear his heart beating, Alexis, and it's slowing. He's been hurt helping you.”

”What do you mean she can help him?” Austin turned to her, as did Dallas when Austin continued to ask. ”Tell me what the h.e.l.l he's talking about. What can you do to help my brother?”

”I can't do it. Please, you have to understand that...please don't make me do this. I've had to start over so many times.” She felt the tears stream down her face. ”Please, Phil, you can't want me to do this again.”

She wasn't sure how he'd found out she could heal. She really didn't care at this point. But helping this man, this wolf, was going to change things forever. Too many people, all of them could get her into so much trouble knowing she could do this.

”You have to, love. And no one here will condemn you. I'm not sure what you are, but you're not wholly human, are you?” She shook her head at Phil's question. ”I thought not. Help him, Alexis, and if something happens to you, if anyone in here betrays you, I swear to you I will set it right.”

She knew he was not only telling her he would protect her, but also warning the others. She looked down at the man on the floor. He was dying. She could hear his heart as well as anyone of them in the room. She dropped to her knees next to him and started rubbing her hands on her thighs.

”You'll have to tell my aunts that I've...that I took ill. I want you all to be gone when I'm through here. And I don't ever want to see any of you again. You've no idea what...it doesn't matter. If Paddy finds out, if he even guesses that this is what I can do, then there will be no stopping him. You understand?” She looked up at the people standing there.

”You save his life and we'll do whatever it takes to protect you. Whatever.” She nodded at Austin. She didn't really believe him, she'd been made promises before and look where it had...she nodded again.

”Someone will need to make sure that he rests when you take him home. He'll be weak and tired for a bit, but he'll live.” She looked down at the wolf and put her hands near his bloodied fur. ”You people had better be true to your word. I don't want to run again. The children need me too much.”

The pain ripped through her as soon as she touched him. She could feel each of his bites, each tear in his skin, and each place that the fur had been ripped from his body. She knew the exact location of the teeth marks that Paddy had given him, the depth of each bite, and even when the other wolf had shaken his head to inflict more pain. Alexis knew that she'd cried out; there was no hope for it. She hurt. She hurt as badly as the wolf and knew that it was going to get worse, much worse.

Closing her eyes, she let her curse roll over her. It rolled from her into him, sealing the open gashes and mending the smaller ones. She had learned to breathe slowly when she did this or else the power would wear her out too quickly and the person would still need her help. She moved along his body. Each and every wound was sealed before she moved on to another place. The process was slow and draining to her, but she knew that as soon as she finished he'd be fine.

Exhaustion weighed on her when she opened her eyes. She had no idea how long she'd been helping him, only that she didn't have the strength to do much more than nod slightly at the gla.s.s of orange juice someone held out to her. She tried to speak and before she could form words someone picked her up and then blackness engulfed her.

Austin looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. She'd saved Gordon. He didn't know how yet, but he planned to find out. He glanced at his mate as she pulled the blankets down off the bed in the room that one of the aunts had led them to. He was startled when Phil laid Gordon, in human form now, down on the other side of Alexis on the big bed.

”She has to mate with him now. If not, then she'll run.” Phil covered Gordon up as he continued. ”Please don't ask me what she is. First of all, I don't have a definite answer, and secondly...secondly, I don't think I believe it myself.”

”You knew she could heal him. How?” Austin asked him. ”What did you feel that none of us did? There had to be something that tipped you off.”

”Something, yes. Let's take this downstairs. She'll be out for several days, her aunt said. The more...damage, the longer it takes for her to come back from it. They can't believe she did this again. They said she only does it for those she loves.” Phil moved out of the room and they had no choice but to follow.

CJ stopped him just beyond the door. ”She saved his life because he's her mate, didn't she? Even now she doesn't realize that she had no choice but to love him. Oh Austin, what happens to them all now? Do you know what she is?”

Austin looked back at the couple on the bed. ”No. No, I don't know, but Phil does and if he is this nervous, it can't be good. No, I don't know what she is, but I plan to find out. She's a member of this pack now and we'll all protect her.” He pulled his mate to him. ”She saved his life. He was dying and she saved his life.”

”I know, love. Whatever she is, she's very powerful. And yes, we'll all protect her.”

The living room was nearly empty when they entered. Austin felt at home here. Not as much as he did at his own home, but he could easily see his brother living here with Alexis. Connor was sitting on the floor next to were Darcy was still hiding and when Austin started toward him a small shake of his brother's head had him going toward the couch instead. He had never seen anyone as terrified in his life as that little girl. He wondered what had happened to this family and how they were going to help them.

”Alexis is very private so what I'm going to tell you is something I don't believe she's ever shared with anyone but family.” Glad sat on the couch as Jessie served sandwiches around. She took one off the tray as she continued. ”Alexis and Judith weren't true sisters. Not by blood at any rate. Judith was Daniel's child and Alexis was Caroline's. The two of them, Daniel and Caroline, met when the girls were just about three. They married a few months later, Caroline and Daniel, not the girls. Both girls, head over heels in love with having a family, settled right in.”